second-guessing

verb

present participle of second-guess
1
as in outguessing

Related Words

Relevance
2
as in reasoning

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for second-guessing
  1. balking
  2. reasoning
  3. overreaching
  4. analyzing
  5. outmaneuvering
  6. reviewing
  7. outsmarting
  8. exploring
Verb
  • Many residents are balking at that timing and at Ryan’s lawsuit against Killingly’s wetlands board for rejecting the first version of the plan on July 6.
    — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Others were less sympathetic, balking at Crespi’s counter-offer and stating that Crespi’s employment must be discussed publicly because the DDA is a public agency beholden to the state’s Sunshine Law.
    — Tess Riski August 5, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of balking
Verb
  • Other planning engines run scenarios sequentially, in cycles measured in hours, which is why their AI can only report on what has already been computed rather than reasoning live, KetteQ said.
    — Roy Stephen Canivel, Footwear News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The use that matters is reasoning at the points where determinism breaks down.
    — Chris Wade, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of reasoning
Verb
  • Where supporters see government intervening to solve problems of everyday people struggling to afford groceries, others see a socialist mayor overreaching to take aim at a powerful symbol of America’s riches.
    — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026
  • The grand jury subpoena was filed in April and was almost immediately met with resistance from Fulton County officials, who argued the request was overreaching and came from baseless claims of election fraud six years ago.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 8 July 2026
Definition of overreaching
Verb
  • Hofstadter is brilliant at analyzing types that feel quite familiar to us today—the crusading urban progressive, the small-town conspiracy theorist.
    — Emma Sarappo, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
  • While designers and merchants remain in control of strategic decisions, AI enhances their expertise by analyzing demand signals, surfacing insights and recommending actions that humans can evaluate.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of analyzing
Verb
  • May built one of the most dominant teams in Big Ten history by outmaneuvering his peers in the transfer portal.
    — Austin Meek, New York Times, 30 June 2026
  • Two generals agreed with Ashley's characterization, stressing the view that on the front lines, Ukraine was outmaneuvering Russia.
    — Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 9 June 2026
Definition of outmaneuvering
Verb
  • There had been a check and balance to the power of board dismissal, with the SEC reviewing exclusion decisions.
    — Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
  • While reviewing Clancy’s cellphone records, her defense attorney pointed to multiple internet searches related to caring for and playing with children, including queries about trampolines and kids’ movies.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of reviewing
Verb
  • The problem, according to Hinton, is that humans will no longer be able to rely on outsmarting super-intelligent AI models.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The Fan, the season-long unsub obsessed with one-upping and outsmarting his idol.
    — Joyce Eng, Entertainment Weekly, 23 July 2026
Definition of outsmarting
Verb
  • The hotel also has a helicopter pad, so those interested in exploring the other islands by air rather than by boat have that option, too.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
  • With Hojbjerg seemingly having turned Newcastle down and Palhinha appearing likely to move elsewhere, Ross Wilson, the club’s sporting director, is exploring alternative midfield options.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of exploring
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

second-guesses
second-guessing
secondhand
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Second-guessing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/second-guessing. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of divulge

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All